Child shooting victim showing slow signs of recovery

…mother updates Magistrate on his condition

Six-year-old Jeremiah Gustave, the young boy whose life was forever altered by a gunshot wound to the head, was back in hospital on New Year’s Day for another surgery.

He was discharged 10 days later, and described as showing little and slow signs of recovery.
The child’s mother, Keisha Gustave, revealed her son’s most recent ordeal during a court hearing on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Chief Magistrate (ag) Faith McGusty, in allowing Gustave to speak during the hearing, asked for an update on Jeremiah’s condition.
Gustave revealed that her son had to be readmitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital on New Year’s Day for emergency surgery, to address complications from an earlier medical procedure.
She said that her son had recently undergone surgery for the installation of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt, a device that drains excess fluid from the brain.
The shunt had begun to protrude, making the most recent procedure urgently necessary.
The hearing before the acting Chief Magistrate, concerned Odel Garnette, accused of the July 2024 shooting that has left Jeremiah clinging to life.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Gustave described her son’s fragile condition: “The VP shunt helps to stop the fluid from building up in his brain, but after the surgery, it’s still been slow. He’s starting to make small movements with his toes and head, but still can’t speak. His eyes are open and he is aware that we are around, but he can’t speak and he stiffs his legs when you try to lift him. But I have to try and be strong for him. I can’t give up now,” she disclosed.

Jeremiah, a student at Smith’s Memorial Primary School, remains out of the classroom and is undergoing physical therapy to aid his recovery.
Experts have noted that therapy will be crucial in helping him regain motor skills and potentially rebuild neural pathways impacted by the gunshot injury.
For his mother, however, the process has been gruelling and financially draining.
“You have to take taxis everywhere with him, and everything adds up – whether it’s therapy sessions, medical supplies, or just moving around. It’s very costly,” she disclosed.
She added that her efforts to secure financial assistance have so far been unsuccessful.
Next Wednesday will mark a bittersweet occasion, according to Gustave, since it will be Jeremiah’s seventh birthday.
“It’s hard seeing him like this, especially now that it will be his birthday, but I’m just thankful he’s still alive,” she said, fighting back tears.
The shooting occurred on July 9, 2024, when Jeremiah was sitting at his mother’s food stall on Charles Street, Charlestown.
An altercation nearby escalated, and gunfire erupted, with one of the bullets striking Jeremiah in the head.
He was rushed to Georgetown Public Hospital, where he underwent life-saving surgery and has since endured multiple procedures.
Initially, two men were charged in connection with the shooting: Garnette, also known as “Crab”, and Marlon Wilburg, known as “Mice Man”.
However, in October 2024, the case against Wilburg was unexpectedly withdrawn after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) issued a directive.
No explanation was provided, and Wilburg was released.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, the court was told that surveillance footage of the incident would be presented at the next hearing, which is scheduled for January 24.
Garnette, charged with attempted murder, remains in Police custody.